Presently known oscillating ventilator systems are described in Jenson U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,910 and Fox U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,746. Presently known ventilators used in the ventilation of mammals, particularly humans, supply an air or air/oxygen mixture through a tube to the patient's lungs. A variable air volume is manipulated, for example, using magnets, to create an alternating inspiratory and expiratory pressure wave to the lungs. As a result of the high oscillation frequency necessary for effective ventilation, the air becomes heated, making it difficult to maintain proper temperature and humidity levels in the entrained air.
Moreover, presently known ventilators are limited in their ability to consistently deliver a high frequency pressure wave at high air volumes needed for larger adults, as well as the low air volumes needed for smaller body weight and neo-natal patients.
Accordingly, systems and methods are needed which address these limitations.